I’m not going to lie, having a kid that drives now has been pretty great. When Zack got his license back in February, I didn’t realize just how much of an asset it would be to me and Alex.
Now that he drives, he is able to get himself and his sister to school, pick up Alexander as needed and this summer, he’ll be driving the 3 of them to summer school every morning for me too so I don’t have to pack everyone up to go.
Yes, when he first got his license I was crazy nervous but now, almost 4 months later, I am happy to report that my nerves are a lot better. He’s a great driver, takes great care of his car, does routine maintenance on it and he’s even taken some shop classes at school so he can do even more repairs if need be.
Zack doesn’t have the best car but the good thing is that it runs, it is in one piece and it is paid for. Right now he’s working as much as he can to put money away for college and for a new (to him) car while he also works to restore his old pickup truck with my dad.
Needless to say, it rocks having him as another driver in the house. Next up….Libby starts drivers ed in July….
Over the last few weeks, Joey has become obsessed with a certain furry little red dude….yes, that one.
Elmo is his new favorite thing and he loves to watch him on PBS, on YouTube and anywhere he can. I thinks it is absolutely adorable when he says Elmo so I’m happy to watch it whenever he wants.
Suprisingly, we don’t have a lot of Elmo videos in our movie library so we are slowly adding some in. I’m really excited because we just added Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical 2: Learn and Imagine to our library and Joey can’t get enough of it.
Your favorite furry red monster is ready to sing and dance as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization, release Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Volume 2 on DVD and digital on May 5, 2015 for $14.98 SRP. With over two hours of fun in seven all-new episodes, Sesame Street fans young and old will love to interact with Elmo during his explorations!
In Sesame Street:Elmo the MusicalVolume 2: Imagine and Learn, kids will sing, dance, play and imagine along with Elmo on math-filled adventures! They’ll join Elmo as he becomes a cowboy in his musical “The Count-by-Two Kid,” and escorts six kitty-cows through a canyon to the Double Double Dude Dude Ranch Ranch. Next, they’ll don a detective hat with Elmo to help investigate the secret behind all the sneezing.An extension of Sesame Street’s STEAM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), each episode is an interactive, fun-filled musical adventure created by Elmo and the child at home. Focusing on imagination and math skills, such as enumeration, relational concepts, addition/subtraction, geometric shapes and many more, Elmo takes viewers on thrilling explorations as he imagines himself in many adventures. This DVD also includes bonus full-length video of Play With Me Sesame: Imagine With Me, which focuses on imagination and interactive learning.
Of course, I wasn’t surprised that this has quickly become one of Joey’s favorite videos since he wants to watch Elmo morning, noon and night so it’s been a blessing to have some new stuff for him to watch and to save my sanity!
Be sure to get your copy of Sesame Street:Elmo the MusicalVolume 2: Imagine and Learn, in a store near!
Having a food allergy is not fun. It took me 36 years to develop a food allergy and of course, it had to be something I love….milk.
Yes, I live in the dairy state and I can no longer tolerate milk and some milk products. I know, it makes me super sad but I’m not a fan of being sick or popping pills all the time either.
Having this allergy and knowing there are all kinds of people out there that suffer from serious food allergies, I am happy to share that Red Robin is making dining out easy for those with food allergies. With their new Interactive Allergen Menu, Red Robin helps you find items on their menu that you can eat and also lets you know just how to order them!
So, in honor of my amazing husband turning 30, we made our way to the local Red Robin the other night for a nice, quiet, dinner for two!
To help me with my ordering needs, I paid a visit to the Red Robin Interactive Allergen Menu via my smartphone while enjoying a nice glass of New Glarus Spotted Cow.
Thank goodness their isn’t milk in beer!
The Interactive Allergen Menu is easy to use, just select your restrictions and browse through the different menu items and see what would need to be removed or substituted to fit your dietary restrictions.
The menu was really easy to use and it left me with A LOT of options and showed me exactly how to order my meal to cater to my personal needs. Also, if there were different options available, in place of something I couldn’t have (such as raw onions instead of onion straws) it let me know.
After playing with the menu for a bit, I settled on the Red Robin Gourmet Cheeseburger minus the cheese and the mayo.
Of course, it was absolutely delicious and the Red’s pickle relish on the bottom bun…O.M.G.—-SO GOOD!
Going Above & Beyond
Red Robin trains all restaurant Team Members to allow guests to modify their Red Robin food or beverage order to suit their taste or dietary preferences. If a guest has a food allergy, the Red Robin team member will ring in the order with an allergy alert and bright type so it is clear on the table order.
Red Robin uses allergen kits to prepare all allergen orders. The kits include tools that are for use on allergen orders only and are purple to clearly distinguish them from other kitchen tools. Purple is the color of Allergen Awareness.
Red Robin provides the guest with information so they can make an educated decision on what to order themselves, whether it’s for food intolerances or food allergies.
This is what I call going above and beyond for the customer!
You can bet we will be visiting Red Robin a lot more now that we know about their allergen friendly menu and the precautions they take.
Connect
Be sure to share your dining experience with Red Robin on social media. You can connect with Red Robin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
As a business owner claiming deductions for employee’s salaries and wages are clear, yet there are a number of other fringe benefits that you may provide that can also have an impact on your tax liability. The rules and requirements are sometimes convoluted but it is worth the time investment as the deductions can often times be significant.
Check out these great tips from Simple Living Australia on how to put more money into your back pocket or business.
Fringe Benefits
The benefits that are outside an employee’s normal remuneration are referred to by the IRS as fringe benefits. To make matters more complicated, some benefits are taxable and others are non taxable. These designations also differ between the ability of an employer able to claim the deduction and whether the employee must also report the benefit for their own income, but the two instances are treated separately by the IRS.
For example even if the benefit is not taxable for the employee’s individual tax return you may still be able to deduct the cost of providing the benefit as the employer. These fringe benefits can include company cars, health insurance, educational plans, retirement plans, business provided cell phones, de minimis gifts and even meals provided on site to maintain productivity are 100% deductible expenses.
The Differences
There are large differences in employee expenses that can be claimed as business expenses and those fringe benefit expenses that are also required to be reported on the employee’s gross wage statements. As an example, transportation provided to employees like a vehicle for commuting to work or even a bicycle can be written off by the company but also must be included within their gross wages at fair market value for their use as taxable income.
Whereas providing discounts on company products or services, tickets to theatre or sporting events, use of company property such as a copier can be provided to employee’s tax free for their income but are still tax deductible for the employer. Educational assistance, life insurance up to $50,000, dependent care assistance and tuition reduction fringe benefits are also benefits that are tax free to the employee and deductible by the company.
Exclusions and Discriminatory Benefits
As a business you also need to be careful of fringe benefits that are provided to a discriminate few. By providing fringe benefits that favor certain employees or are targeted towards only the top employees in the company than the benefit would not qualify as a non taxable benefit for the employee and must be included in their gross wage statements.
The fringe benefits that are excluded from gross wages are considered exclusions and each category of exclusion, such as those listed above including commuting transportation, meals, educational assistance, tuition reduction, cafeteria plans, health benefits, athletic facilities, de minimis gifts, employee stock options, employer provided cell phones, lodging on premises, group term life insurance, moving expenses and even adoption assistance have their own unique requirements in order to be excluded from an employee’s gross wages as a taxable benefit.
Meet with a tax professional to see how your company’s fringe benefits could be made more compliant with current regulations to provide the best benefits at the least cost.
One of the hardest things to ask for, for many people is financial help. There can be a strong feeling of failure or embarrassment so many people avoiding asking and get in further trouble. If you are a person or family dealing with financial hardship, there is help out there and it’s easy enough to ask for. The support you can receive includes; help with food, shelter, basic necessities and even education for yourself and family. Learn about the different social services that are available to help maintain a certain standard of living or improve your current standard of living. Low Income Financial Help has provided five great resources to help with common financial issues.
The US Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a number of resources for those that are seeking assistance with their current or future housing situation. If you need Rental Assistance or financial aid to find housing this portal offers the most comprehensive choice. From private but subsidized housing, to finding public housing in your area to the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8), this portal covers most options for those in need of shelter.
Food & Nutrition Service
The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service website offers the most comprehensive breakdown of federal programs offering food resources for those in need. You can find all their programs here. From their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to specialty programs targeting at risk populations such as nursing mothers, children or native Americans and seniors. This federal service is responsible for most food distribution to state and local food banks and pantries as well as national food provision programs like food stamps.
Benefits, Grants & Loans
Sometimes you just need a little help whether it is through a grant, that you do not have to repay, a loan with forgiving terms and rates or benefits that you need, the USA.gov site provides a great resource. This includes free money for Americans that are in need, depending on the program. Topics include, housing, food and nutrition, seniors, veterans, business owners, families, education assistance, job and unemployment assistance and even farm or rural assistance. See if you qualify.
Educational Resources
Often assistance is supplemental but does not change your financial situation. Yet with the Federal Student Aid program, the assistance can substantially change your lifestyle by providing an education. The site helps you determine if you are eligible, what types of aid you may qualify for and how to apply for aid and prepare for college. The types of aid include low cost loans, grants, scholarships and work-study jobs. There is even a Free Application for Federal Student Aid ensuring all can apply.
Managing Your Finances
One of the better government services websites that can actually help you manage your monthly finances is the Federal Trade Commission website that helps with all manner of personal finance. The website provides a wealth of information on everyday financial burdens and how to either improve your situation or overcome it. From managing the process of owning or buying a car, dealing with debt either through better money management or debt consolidation to getting better employment and making more money. The website provides a number of advice articles and links to reputable services in financial matters should you need them.
There are many sites that purport to help you in your financial need, yet always visit reputable and government backed websites first to confirm the nature of the programs.
